Summary: Stewardship over our finances is very importanct to God and to those that are looking to Christian for guidance and hope.

Why do we need lessons on finances in the church today? Christ taught more on financial management than on any other subject. Sixteen (16) of His thirty-eight (38) parables deal with money management (John MacArthur). He taught five times more on financial matters than He did on prayer (approximately 500 verses on prayer and 2,000 on money/possessions).

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

A popular story recounts a meeting that took place at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago in 1923. Attending this meeting were nine of the richest men in the world at that time:

(1) Charles Schwab, President of the world’s largest independent steel company;

(2) Samuel Insull, President of the world’s largest utility company;

(3) Howard Hopson, President of the largest gas firm;

(4) Arthur Cutten, the greatest wheat speculator;

(5) Richard Whitney, President of the New York Stock Exchange;

(6) Albert Fall, member of the President’s Cabinet;

(7) Leon Frazier, President of the Bank of International Settlements;

(8) Jessie Livermore, the greatest speculator in the Stock Market; and

(9) Ivar Kreuger, head of the company with the most widely distributed securities in the world.

Twenty-five years later:

(1) Charles Schwab had died in bankruptcy, having lived on borrowed money for five years before his death.

(2) Samuel Insull had died virtually penniless after spending some time as a fugitive from justice.

· A study by the American Academy of Actuaries found that ½ of baby boomers (1946 – 1964) will not have sufficient retirement @ age 65. Financial Security for the Future Kerby Anderson

· In 1988, 4.4% of American families saved as compared to the Japanese @ 12.6% and the W. Germans @ 15.2%. "Dollars & Sense" - John L. Terry, III.

· “It is predicted that at the rate it’s now going, the United States economy will last approximately 3 – 5 years before total collapse.” "Dollars & Sense" - John L. Terry, III.

· For every $1.00 that is given to the U.S. Congress, they spend $1.65.

The only way we can keep our heads above water is by our dependence upon God & the principles He has set in place for our benefit.

The U.S. Social Security Administration says that 85% of Americans retire in poverty with very few assets. These retirees will subsist on help from relatives, charities, and the S.S.A. Far too many people do not realize their financial predicament until they retire and find themselves living at or below the poverty line. This should not be true for the child of God who reads and believes God’s Word. Proverbs 13:16 advises us that, “A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it.” (TLB)